1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cable connector and a method of connecting a cable with a cable connector, and more particularly to an improvement in a cable connector which has signal and ground conductive contacts isolated from each other to be connected respectively with core and outer conductors of a coaxial cable, and an improvement in a method of connecting electrically a coaxial cable having core and outer conductors with a cable connector having signal and ground conductive contacts isolated from each other to be connected respectively with the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been proposed to use often a cable connector with which a coaxial cable, which comprises a core conductor, an outer conductor surrounding the core conductor, an insulating layer provided between the core conductor and the outer conductor and an insulating cover surrounding the outer conductor to form a signal transmitting path unsusceptible to influence of noise, is electrically connected, when electrical parts, electrical devices or electrical apparatus are connected with each other through the coaxial cable so that signal transmissions are carried out through the coaxial cable between the electrical parts, electrical devices or electrical apparatus. The cable connector thus used is provided, for example, with signal and ground conductive contacts isolated from each other, with which the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable are connected respectively.
In a previously proposed cable connector for a coaxial cable, it is usual to use soldering for connecting electrically the coaxial cable with the cable connector. That is, when the coaxial cable is connected electrically with the cable connector, a core conductor of the coaxial cable is soldered to a signal conductive contact of the cable connector and an outer conductor of the coaxial cable is also soldered to a ground conductive contact of the cable connector.
In the case of the soldering for connecting electrically the coaxial cable with the cable connector, in which the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable are soldered respectively to the signal and ground conductive contacts of the cable connector, there is a problem that operations for soldering the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable respectively to the signal and ground conductive contacts of the cable connector are troublesome for an operator or that heat accompanying with the soldering spreads through the coaxial cable to bring about inconveniences. Such a problem is severe especially when a slender coaxial cable having a relatively small diameter is connected electrically with the cable connector or a cable aggregate constituted with a plurality of coaxial cables arranged in parallel with one another to be flat is connected electrically with the cable connector.
Accordingly, it has been desired that a cable connector with which the coaxial cable is connected electrically without using soldering is provided. As for the cable connector with which the coaxial cable is connected electrically without using soldering, there has been previously proposed a cable connector in which the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable are connected respectively with the signal and ground conductive contacts of the cable connector by means of press-contacting, as disclosed in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2001-223039.
In the previously proposed cable connector disclosed in the publication mentioned above, a plurality of signal conductive contacts and a plurality of ground conductive contacts supported by a contact supporting plate member are provided in such a manner that each of the signal and ground conductive contacts is provided with a U-shaped connecting portion at the end thereof or the signal conductive contact is provided with a U-shaped connecting portion at the end thereof and the ground conductive contact is coupled with a pair of catching plates. Then, the coaxial cable is connected electrically with the previously proposed cable connector in such a manner that the core conductor of the coaxial cable is pushed in the U-shaped connecting portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is pushed in the U-shaped connecting portion of the ground conductive contact of the cable connector or the core conductor of the coaxial cable is pushed in the U-shaped connecting portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is put between the catching plates with which the ground conductive contact of the cable connector is coupled. Thereby, the coaxial cable is connected electrically with the cable connector without using soldering in such a manner that the core conductor of the coaxial cable is in press-contact with the U-shaped connecting portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is also in press-contact with the U-shaped connecting portion of the ground conductive contact of the cable connector or the core conductor of the coaxial cable is in press-contact with the U-shaped connecting portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is press-contact with the catching plates with which the ground conductive contact of the cable connector is coupled.
In the above-mentioned previously proposed cable connector in which the core and outer conductors of the coaxial cable are connected respectively with the signal and ground conductive contacts by means of press-contacting, the core conductor of the coaxial cable is connected with the signal conductive contact by pushing the core conductor in the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact to come into press-contact with the same and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is connected with the ground conductive contact by pushing the outer conductor in the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact or by putting the outer conductor between the catching plates with which the ground conductive contact is coupled to come into press-contact with the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact or the catching plates. In the case that the core conductor of the coaxial cable is connected with the signal conductive contact of the cable connector only by means of press-contacting the core conductor with the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is connected with the ground conductive contact of the cable connector only by means of press-contacting the outer conductor with the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact or press-contacting the outer conductor with the catching plates with which the ground conductive contact is coupled, as mentioned above, there is a problem that the connection of the core conductor of the coaxial cable with the signal conductive contact of the cable connector or the connection of the outer conductor of the coaxial cable with the ground conductive contact of the cable connector is lacking in certainty.
For example, it is feared that the core conductor of the coaxial cable is not pushed enough in the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector so as to be lifted out of the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact and thereby the core conductor of the coaxial cable is uncertainly in press-contact with the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact, or the core conductor of the coaxial cable is pushed excessively in the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact of the cable connector so as to be partially cut off and thereby the core conductor of the coaxial cable is uncertainly in press-contact with the U-shaped portion of the signal conductive contact. Further, it is further feared that the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is not pushed enough in the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact of the cable connector also so as to be lifted out of the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact and thereby the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is uncertainly in press-contact with the U-shaped portion of the ground conductive contact. Especially, when an extremely slender coaxial cable having, for example, the diameter of a core conductor of 0.075 mm, the outer diameter of an insulating layer surrounding the core conductor of 0.2 mm, the outer diameter of an outer conductor of 0.26 mm and the outer diameter of an insulating cover surrounding the outer conductor of 0.34 mm is connected electrically with the cable connector by means of press-contacting, it is seriously feared that the extremely slender coaxial cable is partially cut off on the cable connector.